Pinheiro’s Late Goal Lifts SMC Men’s Soccer to 2-1 Win Over Bluefield

Bluefield, Va. - With the game tied at 1 and just under five minutes remaining, Spartanburg Methodist College senior Rodrigo Pinheiro fired a shot to the lower left corner for the game-winning goal, propelling the visitors to a 2-1 victory.

The goal capped a much-needed win, noted SMC head coach Doug Smith after the game. "Bluefield showed great resilience by tying it up in the first half, but in the second half, we held them to zero shots – a testament to our collective defensive effort," Smith said. "Even after going a man down with about 10 minutes left, the team stayed composed and united. Rodrigo came through in the clutch, scoring the game-winner with less than five minutes left to play."

Spartanburg Methodist (3-7-1, 3-5-1 AAC) opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Michael Torres stole the ball from the Bluefield defense at midfield and beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation for a 1-0 lead.

"Michael was a constant threat up top," Smith said. "He opened the scoring by pressing their backline and finishing a breakaway, then played a key role in the winning goal with an assist. Anthoney Bedolla Menera also contributed with another important assist."

Bluefield (1-9-1, 0-6-1 AAC) quickly responded with an equalizer in the 16th minute on a goal from Sebastian Armijos.

The Pioneers dominated offensively, holding an 18-2 advantage in shots and 7-1 in corner kicks in an aggressive contest that included 35 fouls and multiple cards.

Next up for SMC is a road matchup against Bryan College on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 1:30 p.m.